


This Awkward Situation

by Zoe13



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-25
Updated: 2013-05-11
Packaged: 2017-12-09 10:59:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/773447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoe13/pseuds/Zoe13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall is forced to pick and date a random fan. But when said fan happens to be tall and thin with numerous tattoos, thick black hair, and hazel eyes, the Ziall random begins to go crazy, comparing the new girl to Zayn and Perrie to Niall. Management sees the ruckus and makes the decision to force Niall and Zayn together for publicity.<br/>But that isn't how Niall wanted this to go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First chaptered fic! Enjoy!

To say that he wasn't attracted to Zayn would be a lie- it was just that there was so much more to it. Not a single detail that made up Zayn Malik was looked over, not a single habit or personality trait unnoticed. What had started out as attraction had completely escalated until the blonde felt himself falling harder than a piano from a window.  
Or, as a less comical example, a car falling off a bridge.

Alright, scratch the 'less comical' part, because it was comical, in a really mean sort of way. Him, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik? It was laughable at best, really. Sure people supported it (come on, the other guys all read fanfiction- no use denying it), but it just didn't work. Yeah, Perrie was all management, but that didn't mean automatically that he had a chance. No, he would simply wallow in self-pity and eat gallons of icecream like a girl with her period (he still didn't understand that whole thing and never wanted to. Anyway, moving on). 

"Niall!" Louis entered his flat, slamming the door behind him.

But, of course. He should have known that the all-knowing Louis would drag him out of his self-pity cocoon and make him do things. With people. 

All joking aside, he hated doing things with people, but only if those people happened to be just one person and that person happened to be Zayn Malik who happened to be in a world-famous boyband and dating person who happened to be a girl. And now the word 'happened' looks and sounds weird.

"What?!" The hyperactive brunette leaped onto the couch, pulling his knees up to his chest as Niall yelled back uselessly. 

"Harry has to date another girl!" Louis wailed hysterically. Niall almost facepalmed. 

"Welcome to my life, Louis. Except it's all the time for me. And people actually ship them." Louis patted him sympathetically before wailing again. 

"And she's pretty!" 

"Prettier than you?"

"Yes!" Louis covered his face as Niall raised an eyebrow.

"I bet her butt's not as fabulous." Louis sat up.

"That's true."

"And Harry always did say your eyes were an impossibly unique shade of blue..." Niall continued. 

"That's also true," Louis nodded. 

"And he loves how your hair feels." Niall finished, knowing Louis was satisfied.

"True dat," Louis quipped. 

"So you'll tell him?"

"NO!" Niall covered his ears as Louis shrieked in a very [un] manly way.

"Can't hurt to try," Niall offered. Louis pouted at him.

"You won't tell Zayn." 

"We both know Harry swings both ways. Zayn has a permanent (although fake) girlfriend, and has never dated a guy."

Louis was silent for a moment. "Icecream?" he suggested. 

"Definitely," Niall agreed.  
__

"I...what?!" Niall shrieked. And that was definitely in a manly way, unlike Louis.

Okay maybe not, from the funny looks he was getting. 

"Ahem," he coughed. "I said I would date a fan IF I WANTED TO. Meaning I was interested in said fan." He was currently facing down their manager, who had just insisted upon him picking a fan in the next two concerts and dating her.

"Listen, Niall. You haven't dated since One Direction began. Every girl dreams of dating a member, and you're the only single one. And, whether or not you meant if you wanted to, they won't know that you don't (or you might change your mind and decide you want to)." Niall sighed.

"Fine, but only for one month, tops."

"Three."

"One and a half." Niall narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Two." 

Niall sighed. "Fine, fine. Two months. But you can't extend that unless I want to." Niall stood, rapping the desk with his knuckles out if habit. "Will that be all?"

"You may go."

He met the boys outside the office, as they'd all had meetings about various things. Harry groaned as the latest 'girlfriend' came up.

"How's it going, Haz?"

"Harry's fine," he said stiffly. Niall couldn't remember what she did- modeling for some weird clothing company. Who cared about what 'Victoria's Secret' was anyway?

"We have a date scheduled at three tomorrow, Harry." She sauntered off, Louis mimicking her perfectly chiseled expressions. 

"I have to date a fan!" Niall blurted. All eyes turned to him.

"Oh...I'm sorry," Harry said, looking back after that model as if he suddenly considered himself lucky. Niall glowered. 

"And apparently I'm just supposed to date her for two months and then tell her it's not working and not bother saying it's for publicity." Liam clapped a hand on Niall's shoulder.

"At least you get to pick, Nialler." 

"I guess," Niall griped, before slinging his bag on his shoulder and heading out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall picks a 'girlfriend', and gets a few surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all like this one too! Comments are almost as food as Ziall gifs.

Niall fought the urge to roll his eyes as yet another girl flirted with Harry, who was on his right. Hadn't she gotten the message? Even excluding Louis' death-inducing glare she was being stupid. Well, everyone did have a right to be stupid, he supposed. 

His heart skipped a beat in a very cliche way as his eyes met Zayn's. He turned back, face red, and signed the poster in front of him, smiling at the fan. Scanning the line of girls, he sighed. This was his last concert to find a 'girlfriend' at, and he really hoped he'd make a wise decision, seeing as whoever it was would be around for two months. Fortunately management had made the decision when the concerts were in London, and he also hoped that whoever he picked didn't live far. 

"Hey Niall," yet another girl waved and moved on. As the next girl stepped up to Harry, Niall discreetly (he hoped) looked her over.  
Genuine smile gracing her full lips, thick black hair in long, curly waves, hazel (almost gold eyes) and- was that a tattoo?

He couldn't help it. When he counted a third tattoo (a compass on her bicep), he decided to have his revenge on management. He scribbled down his phone number as she stopped in front of him.

"Hey," he smiled. She held out a poster.

"Hey Niall! I'm Nicole. Great concert!" he signed the poster, unsure of how to do this.

"Do you live near here?" she nodded.

"About fifteen minutes north of here." He sighed in relief. If she said yes, there'd be no long drives for something he didn't want. "Why? Thinking about asking me out?" It wasn't cocky in a Louis way- it was obviously a joke. 

"Thinking, yeah." Her mouth dropped open as he pretended to think. "Here. Call me anytime, if you're interested." He gave her a wink (hopefully not creepy, but probably terrifying...) and handed her the paper. She walked on as if in a daze and he felt a laugh coming on as Harry turned to him, eyes wide.

"That one?"

"Why not?"

"Nialler! She could be Zayn's twin!"

"What about Zayn?" Louis, who was on Niall's left, leaned in. Niall turned red.

"Niall just asked that chick out." Harry pointed out the girl, who was now hugging Zayn. She pulled back and Louis whistled.

"You got it bad, Nialler." Niall turned even more red. 

"I have not!" he exclaimed defensively. "She just seemed...genuine."

"And could be Zayn's twin." 

"What about Zayn?" Liam leaned in from Harry's right.

Niall had never slammed his head on a table so hard.  
__

"Hey...um, Niall? It's Nicole." Niall sat down, leaning against the head of his bed. They were on break, so he had plenty of time to 'date'.

"Hey Nicole. Would you like to meet for dinner sometime?"

"Uhm...yeah. That would be great."

"Friday? At 6?"

"Uhm...sure." Zayn poked his head in the door.

"Hold on Nicole." He could have sworn a scowl flitted across Zayn's face before he smiled. 

"Hey Ni, wanna go out with us?"

"Sure!" Niall stood up.

"Hey Nicole, you text me your address and I'll pick you up at your house tomorrow. That alright?"

"Sure!"

"Seeya then." Niall sighed and hung up. "Now I feel for you." Zayn smirked.

"Have fun. And Pez isn't so bad. We're great friends at least." Niall shrugged.

"Two months. Hopefully I can get through this."

"When are we gonna meet her? I haven't seen her and neither has Liam, though Louis gives me funny looks every time she's mentioned." Niall mentally tore Louis to pieces and smiled sweetly at Zayn.

"I wonder why. Maybe he's just being his usual crazy self." Zayn shrugged. 

"Anyway, we're leaving in ten." Zayn left, shouting to the others that Niall was in.

"Of course he is!" Louis shouted back. "It means beer!"

The boys had all crashed at Harry's house since he actually had enough rooms for them all and they always missed each other after tours. Niall chuckled to himself before gathering some better clothes and heading to the bathroom.  
__

"You look nice," Niall greeted as Nicole got in the car.

"Thank you." The silence dragged and he desperately searched for something to say. Suddenly it really didn't feel right, doing this.

"Nico-"

"This is because of management, isn't it." He swallowed and nodded, but (to his surprise) she didn't look upset. "Is it because I look like Zayn?" she grinned and he swore he saw a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I swear I won't tell a soul Niall."

"Thank you." It felt stiff, but he wasn't sure what to say.

"I have a proposition." His heart sank. Was she expecting bribes? "I will pretend to be madly in love with you, if you'll let me help you out. With Zayn." 

"But...you want to? And what about Perrie?"

"We both know that's management, Niall. Seriously. Don't pretend with me. I have no interest in giving out information. I don't even have a tumblr! Though I'll need to get one to research fans' thoughts on Ziall..." Niall swore he'd never been as red.

"Look Nicole..."

"Nic," she half chirped. 

"Nic, I couldn't ask you to fake all this for me."

"You already did."

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm lesbian." 

"What?!" Niall shrieked, slamming on the breaks as he suddenly noticed the red light. She giggled. 

"I'm-"

"I heard you. Why did you call?"

"To help you of course."

"So you knew even then. I can't hide anything from anyone, can I." He sighed. 

"No, you really can't. Don't worry, a huge amount of fans are not only alright with Ziall, they ship it so hard it will sink as easily as a whale in a kiddie pool."

"I'm so tired of analogies," Niall moaned, turning into the restaurant parking lot. She laughed again, a leer, but a friendly one. It was weird, but not in an uncomfortable way. Something about her was just so contradictory.

"Will you accept my help?"

"It might be interesting, at least." Niall facepalmed. "I can't believe what I get myself into."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!   
> Zoe xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn meets Nicole and things only escalate from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this fits well with the last chapter and isn't too cliche!

"Niall!" Nic slid into the seat across from him. "I've been digging around some more, but I didn't have to dig around for this!" she yanked out her phone. "Thousands of fans on tumblr are going nuts! When Zayn first went out with Perrie, Ziall shippers went berserk because you sort of resemble her. But now, with me looking like Zayn's twin and him still dating Perrie, they're having heartattacks!" Niall massaged his temples, hoping to ease the oncoming headache.

"Okay, so Ziall fans are going nuts. My life is now complete." Nic ignored his sarcasm, sipping her coffee.

"It's the first step. They're all not only accepting, they think you've been dating and are basically begging you to come out!"

"But we're not," Niall said dejectedly. Nic rolled her eyes.

"Come on. We're meeting with the boys now. Oh my gosh! I never thought I'd actually say that! We'd better hurry this up." She grabbed his arm and dragged him away, nodding to the girl at the counter, who dropped her change as she realized it was Niall and his 'girlfriend'. 

Niall was still in awe of how easily Nic ignored the blinding flashes of the paparazzi and how patiently she waited for fans to get autographs. If both of them were straight, he'd totally keep her around...

He was interrupted as she stopped outside of a restaurant, quickly straightening her tunic and dusting off her jeans. 

"C'mon, lover boy," she prodded, and swept in the restaurant, Niall dragging behind her. 

"Niall!" Harry called from a booth, waving the blond over. He grinned nervously at Nic and went over, sliding in next to Louis. Zayn pouted across the table as Nic slid into the spot by him. 

Liam's jaw dropped. 

"You do look like him!" he yelped. Nic smirked and Niall facepalmed, noting Harry's raised eyebrow as his hand collided with his forehead. 

"Hey Liam, Harry, Louis, Zayn. You've probably guessed I'm Nic. Well, I hope you have cause I dunno who else I'd be." Zayn scowled slightly and Louis giggled. 

"Nice to meet you," Liam said sheepishly. "Sorry I shouted. You just really look like Zayn."

"No problem, and thank you," Nic answered, smiling warmly. 

Silence fell awkwardly before a waitress came up. Niall sighed with relief as they all placed their orders. 

"Perrie's gonna be in town for a month tomorrow," Zayn said after a moment. "I thought maybe we could go out to dinner with her or something."

"That would be lovely!" Nic exclaimed. Zayn glared daggers in her direction but she didn't seem to notice.

The waitress came and went, leaving their food.

"Why don't we all go. One Direction and Little Mix dinner or something," Liam suggested after she'd left. "And Nic and Harry's girl," he added. Harry and Louis sported twin glares and turned away from each other. 

"Amber," Harry sniped. "Can't stand her. She's so professional and fluffy at the same time!"

"Uh, Harry?" Liam [in]discreetly jerked his head in Nic's direction. Harry coughed. 

"Uh..."

"It's fine," Nic laughed. "I totally understand. And I know how to keep my mouth shut."

"Yeah right," Zayn muttered, stabbing his food viciously. Fortunately Louis was too busy thinking about 'Amber' to giggle again. Niall turned to his food, hoping to distract himself. 

"So what are you studying?" Liam asked Nic. 

"I'm studying architecture right now," Nic smiled. "I love math and buildings, so it made sense."

"I hate math," Zayn griped. Nic flashed him a blinding smile, cleaning her plate and finishing her water. 

"We should go," Niall said suddenly, desperate to get out of there. "We have a date schedu- err, we planned to go to the park, so..." She stood. 

"Of course!" taking his arm, she dragged him away from the table. 

As soon as they exited the building, she burst out laughing. 

"What?" Niall asked as she leaned over.

"His face!" she exclaimed between laughs. "He was so pissed!" Niall crossed his arms, pouting.

"Stop laughing. He just thought you were annoying."

"Niall. Face it. He was JEALOUS. Like...I'm-gonna-tear-her-to-pieces jealous- and he even knows we aren't real!" she erupted into more giggles as they walked, staggering around as she laughed. 

"Well, whatever the reason was, he was hilariously grumpy," Niall agreed, trying not to giggle. "I don't know why he doesn't like you." 

"Aw...thanks," Nic smiled, calming down. "Let's get going so people don't think we're drunk."  
__

Niall entered the room he was sleeping in at Harry's house, turning to shut the door and flip on the lights. As he turned back around, he let out a yelp and leaped ten feet in the air (give or take seven feet). 

Zayn was sitting on his bed, arms crossed and expression stormy. 

"Uh...hi?" Niall squeaked, trying to slow his heart rate down. 

"I don't like her." Niall rolled his eyes and tossed his keys on the nightstand before pulling off his shirt and heading into the closet. Zayn's eyes followed him. 

"Why?"

"She's not your type at all. I don't think it will work."

"We're not really dating anyway, Zayn." Niall slipped on some sweat pants and threw his shirt and jeans in the closet.

"Really? Cause you seem awfully close." His eyes narrowed.

"We're not really dating Zayn. She even knows that."   
Zayn looked surprised. 

"You told her?"

"I didn't have to. She'd figured it out." Zayn relaxed visibly. 

"Well, don't put up with any more shit than you have to. I can't wait to 'break up' with Pez, and she's nice."

"Nic is plenty nice. In fact, under other circumstances I would totally genuinely date her." Zayn tensed again, scowling at the the floor. 

"What kind of circumstances?" he asked moodily. Niall suppressed a giggle at his strange grumpiness.

"I think you need a nap, princess." Zayn brightened suddenly. 

"Okay." He flung the door open, only to trip over Louis.

"Lou!" Niall exclaimed exasperatedly. Louis leaped up and shut the door, beaming. 

"Hi!"

"What's got him so happy all of a sudden?" Niall asked the door that Zayn had exited through. 

"Niall, he's always happy when you call him 'princess...'"

"We've been over this, Louis."

"...because he wants to be the princess you always talk about!" Louis finished, beaming. "He's totally insanely jealous." Niall collapsed on the bed.

"Urgh... you and Nic." Louis jolted in surprise and Niall felt strangely accomplished.

"What?"

"Nic's trying to set me and Zayn up too. Apparently she's lesbian." Louis' jaw dropped before he sat down hard, roaring with laughter.

"This whole situation!" he gasped. "It's just funny!"

"It is not," Niall pouted at him. "It's a mess full of people trying to set me up with a guy who doesn't like me the way I like him." Louis rolled his eyes and stood. 

"Anyway, ttfn."

"What?"

"Ta-ta for now?" Louis rolled his eyes again. "Later, basically. Seeya." He swept out the door, leaving Niall to wallow in self-pity again.  
__

Niall sighed to himself for the hundredth time. He was sandwiched between a stony-faced Zayn and a giggling Nic who was currently flirting with Perrie.   
Who didn't seem to mind at all, which just made things awkward. In fact, she was flirting back. Maybe that was why Zayn was so stony-faced.   
Nic leaned over toward Niall as Perrie was momentarily distracted. 

"You didn't tell me his girlfriend was so hilarious!"

"Don't you see pictures of her everywhere?" Niall grumbled. 

"Yeah, but that doesn't say anything about personality. She's so hot!" Niall facepalmed.

"After we 'break up' do whatever you want, but...you really can't be seen flirting with Perrie if you're supposedly my girlfriend and she's supposedly Zayn's."  
Nic pouted. 

"Fine. I guess I'll just have to speed things up. Hey Zayn!"   
Niall sank his head down on the table, unable to watch.

"What?" Zayn snapped. Even Perrie (who had only just met Nic) was giggling, and Niall felt like he and Zayn were the only ones not understanding what was funny.

"Why don't you like me?" Nic asked. Suddenly the room quieted. Tables around were still full of people chatting softly, but it suddenly seemed void of sound. Zayn smiled. 

"What do you mean?" he asked, and Niall could practically hear his teeth grinding as he tried to keep on the smile.

"Oh, you just ignore my existence except when you're glaring me down so hard I think I'm gonna melt to the floor."

"What? I do not!" Zayn glared and Nic giggled.

"See? You're doing it right now!"

"Whatever." He stabbed his food violently.

"Hey, I was thinking..." Liam began rattling off some suggestions for ways to spend the weekend but Niall didn't hear them.   
He felt like he was melting to the floor himself as Zayn's eyes fell on him.  
__

"Niall!" his agent (Peter) greeted, smiling as wide as the cheschire cat. "We need to talk."

Niall swallowed, thinking about his impending doom.

"Uh...okay." He sat down in the chair across from Peter, looking everywhere in the office but at his agent.

"I've been talking with your management," Peter started.

"Oh shit," Niall muttered.

"And we've come to a satisfactory agreement," Peter continued, folding his hands on his desk. Niall fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Your choice of Nicole Lewis," (Niall realized he hadn't known her last name) "led to some disruption in the fans. Simon Cowell has told me to deal with this as he is getting rather tired of having fans send him letters asking him to 'let you and Zayn come out.'" Niall felt his face heat up.

"What?"

"I am well aware of the fact that you and Zayn are not dating, but management sees only one way of cleaning this up. We've checked with the fans (anonymously of course) and the suggestion has even been gaining new fans, leading to more popularity."

"What are you saying?" Niall interrupted. 

"You and Zayn are to ditch Perrie and Nicole, and announce that they were cover ups for your real relationship."

Niall didn't even see the black spots when he fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this one!!
> 
> Zoe xx


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall and Zayn begin a painful struggle through their fake relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written very quickly, so I hope you all like it...

"Niall!" Louis' voice rang out through the house as he burst into Niall's bedroom. "What the hell is this!?" He was followed by Liam and Harry, who both seemed more confused than anything. Louis was waving a magazine around and Niall groaned and yanked the blankets over his head as he saw the cover. A large picture of him with Zayn was splattered with the words 'Teen heartthrobs come out!' and Niall had never hated management more. 

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, muffled by the blanket. "I was supposed to tell you. Let me explain." He yanked off the covers as they sat down, Louis eyeing him warily. He ran a hand through his wild hair and sighed. "Basically management thought that, since the fans were annoying Uncle Simon about it, they would have me and Zayn be a couple. Happy? MY LIFE SUCKS." Niall darted back under the covers. 

"Wait. What? Is that why Zayn took off after his meeting with his agent and hasn't shown up yet?" Liam's voice sounded muffled from the other side of the blanket, so Niall threw it off again and stood to get dressed. 

"Pretty much. I guess he's really pissed cause he won't answer my texts. I have to write to Nic and tell her and then there will be all of these painfully horrible interviews where I have to act like I'm in love with one of my best friends." Louis snorted. 

"Pretend?" Niall sighed. 

"Fine. That's the worst part."

"What's the worst part?" Liam asked, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Niall collapsed on the bed, too lazy to pull his shirt on yet.

"He IS in love with him," Louis supplied helpfully.

"...oh." Liam looked down at his hands awkwardly.

"I hope Zayn's alright," Niall said finally. "He doesn't seem happy and I can't blame him. I hate my agent and management and even Uncle Simon right now." He covered his face and groaned.

"We'll try to help you out. We always get through stuff together." Harry smiled at him before standing. "Why don't you text Nic and we'll take it one step at a time?"

"Okay...thanks guys. I'm sorry about this, it's all my fault."

"S'okay," Louis comforted. "We're here for you. And don't blame yourself."  
__

"Oh Ni..." Nic's voice was sympathetic. "I know you didn't want it like this."

"Definitely not," Niall agreed, sighing for the thousandth time that day. "But I don't have a choice."

"Can we still be friends?" Nic asked after a moment. "Cause I really liked you. You're funny." Niall nodded before he realized she couldn't see him over the phone. 

"Of course. I need a tiny break from the guys every once in a while. Oh shit, I have to leave for the interview..."

"K, bye! I'll keep in touch." Niall nodded and hung up before smacking himself.   
Maybe he should skype her next time.  
__

Niall snuck a glance at Zayn, who was on his left. He'd come in late that night and hadn't spoken the next morning until they'd been dressed, made up for the interview and shoved onto the usual couch. Zayn's eyes flickered toward him and he glanced away.

"So how long has this been happening behind our backs?" the interviewer giggled.

"Five months," he spit out just as Zayn said "Four months."

"Err. Four and a half, I suppose," Liam covered, smiling.   
"Feels like forever," Louis grumbled. Niall sighed with relief, deciding he would have to thank his friends later. He and Zayn were awkward at best right now and hadn't said a word to each other. 

"How did you get together?" the interviewer asked again, flipping her blonde ponytail. Niall gritted his teeh and let Zayn answer.

"Uh...we were just hanging out at my flat and I..." he trailed off.

"Got down on one knee!" Louis chirped. They all laughed, albeit a little forcedly. 

"Not yet you dolt!" Harry joked, smacking Louis' shoulder.

"Anyway," Niall smiled his best. "He just asked me to go out with him and I said yes."

"Were you surprised?"

"Well, yeah, I mean...he'd already been going out with Pez, but he said he didn't want anyone to know he liked me, I guess. Nic was supposed to be a cover, but we just couldn't hide anymore." 

"Aw..." the interviewer cooed. Quickly, she announced a commercial break, and Niall felt himself dragged to the side with Zayn. Peter and Zayn's agent were there, looking them over.

"Okay, quick run-through. Act more coupley. Look each other in the eyes," Peter ordered, glaring. "You," he pointed at Zayn, "Look like you just found out he's dating your ex or something. Hold hands or some sort of shit like that. I don't care. Just act like you're in love!" Zayn stalked away and Niall followed helplessly.

"And we're back!" the interviewer half-squealed as they all got situated again. Zayn scowled at the ground before smiling up at the camera and tentatively reaching out and grasping Niall's hand. Niall felt sweat on his neck and groaned inwardly. 

This was going to be a long interview.  
__

"Zayn, we need to talk!" Niall ran after the older boy as he went toward his room. They were all still staying at Harry's.

"What?" Zayn turned and Niall dragged him into the livingroom. Liam was in his room and Louis and Harry had gone out, so he sat down even though it was an open area.

"We need to talk."

"About what?" Zayn's face was stony and Niall sighed. 

"I don't want this to ruin our friendship. We both know it's because of management and all that and if we let it run our friendship, it could ruin the band. It's not gonna be much different, we just have to act a little bit more close. So please, can we make this work out alright?" Zayn's expression softened and he sighed.   
"I'm sorry Ni, it just feels weird and I don't like being forced into stuff like this, y'know? But you're right. We'll be fine. We'll just be spending a little more time together."

"Exactly!" Niall beamed and yanked Zayn into a hug. "Anything we have to do on camera, we know isn't going to ruin our friendship. We're too close for that."

"Okay," Zayn smiled back. 

"Now you can go do whatever you were doing...I just wanted to make sure we were okay." Niall smiled as Zayn stood and left, sighing with relief. At least they would be okay.  
__

"You're not serious," Niall deadpanned. 

"Of course I am!" Niall pulled the phone away from his ear as Zayn got hysterical. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I'm really sorry...how-" he trailed off and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I just don't want to kiss ANY of you during a concert! What a load of bullshit!" Zayn's voice was cracking and Niall sighed. 

This was such a mess. Zayn had called and told Niall that they were supposed to have some shitty romantic kiss on stage at their first concert on a tour that had suddenly been randomly scheduled. He didn't want it to happen like this. He didn't want it to happen at all if Zayn didn't love him back, and since that seemed extremely unlikely, he just plain didn't want it to happen. 

But it was going to. 

He was pretty sure he was going to have a heartattack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comment, tell me what you like dislike, love, hate...whatever. ^^


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written at one in the morning and is total shit, but I know you wanted another chapter, so here it is. Take it or leave it. :)

Ka-thump. Ka-thump.  
His heart sounded in his ears as Zayn slung an arm around him hesitantly.  
Ka-thump. Ka-thump.  
"Niall, after you sing Little Things, I need you and Zayn to kiss. Ziall fans are going nuts, and more are pouring in."  
Ka-thump.  
Little Things started. 

Ka-thump ka-thump. 

His heart sped up and his palms began to sweat.  
A third through. Halfway through. Almost finished. 

And the last notes trailed away. 

The sound rushed out like a wave, screaming girls sounding distant as Zayn leaned forward, eyes as frightened as Niall felt.  
Closer, closer...

Zayn's lips hit his cheek and Niall fell, sitting abruptly on the couch. 

Silence reigned over the boys for a moment.

"Tweet questionnaire time!" Louis bellowed. Niall discreetly (he hoped) popped an aspirin. 

Zayn looked over. 

"Sorry," he whispered. "It was just...odd." Niall nodded. 

"Definitely." 

Oh shit. Peter.  
__

"Next time, Niall! No chickening out!"

"But-"

"Look, all the boys have done it, okay? The others have all dated someone they didn't actually love. Deal with it." 

Niall swallowed.

"Okay. I'm sorry."

"It's alright Niall. Just make sure you do it this time. The fans are impatient." Niall nodded and left the office, deciding to walk the few blocks to Haz's apartment. 

As he crossed the street, he literally crashed into someone, the force of the collision throwing him onto his back.

"Shit Nialler, sorry." Zayn yanked him to his feet. 

"Look! It's Niall and Zayn!" 

"Damn," was all Niall said as four girls rushed up. 

"Hey! Will you sign this?"

"You're so cute together!"

"Will you kiss?" Niall grabbed Zayn's hand and squeezed it.

Ka-thump.

Breathe.

Ka-thump. 

Zayn's lips met his own and Niall felt like he was being electrocuted. It was unlike anything any of the books or movies could describe.  
It felt like Zayn was surrounding him, running through him. 

Click. Click.

Shit. Paparazzi. Now the picture would be everywhere. Niall pulled back.

"Gotta go girls!" Zayn waved, grabbing Niall's arm and dragging him away. They ducked into a restaurant and went out the back door, quickly making it to Harry's flat.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Niall asked. Zayn breathed heavily from the running for a moment. 

"Sure."  
__

"I'm sorry Niall," Nic looked down at the magazine, a giant photo of him kissing Zayn splattered on the cover.

"FIGARO FIGARO FIGARO- AAAAHHHH!" Louis walked by the open door scream-singing. Liam followed behind quickly.

"Louiiiiis, my Batman action figure doesn't sing opera!"

"...okaaaay. Anyway, this will blow over soon. And trust me, I can see that you still have his friendship." 

Niall flopped backwards on the bed.

"I'd better. Cause if I lose it over this, I will pitchfork Peter to the wall."

"Wassup?" Zayn entered the room and Nic waved lazily from her perch on Niall's dresser. Zayn didn't miss a beat and sat down on the chair. Niall sighed. 

"I hate my life, that's all." He chucked the magazine at Zayn, but it missed and slid out the door.

"Ooh, magazine." Louis leaned over in the doorway.  
"Aah! My eyes! I'm blinded!" he ran off and dropped the magazine. Liam picked it up and threw it in the rubbish bin.

"We don't need that. We'll be fine, 'kay?" 

"I'm just bored right now," Niall moaned. Zayn stood and flopped on the bed with him, laying his head on Niall's stomach.  
Niall sighed with relief inwardly, reaching down to play with Zayn's mussed quiff.

"I think we should all go out. The five of us," Liam suggested. Zayn smiled, eyes closed as Niall played with his hair. 

"Why don't we bring Nic?"

"Sure, if she wants to come," Niall shrugged. Zayn and Nic had suddenly gotten on better, and Nic always had a knowing smile on her face when she talked to him.  
Niall groaned at her un-subtlety (which probably wasn't a word but there seemed to be no better alternative). 

Zayn sat up. 

"I'm bored. You're bored. We're in a fake relationship. Let's have some fun with this." Niall raised an eyebrow.

"What did you have in mind?"  
__

"Oh Niall, your chin is the most perfect thing ever!" Zayn gushed. 

"His chin," Louis deadpanned. 

"Yes," Zayn said defensively, hands covering Niall's chin as if to hide it from him. The interviewer let loose a laugh before shutting up abruptly. 

"Uhm, anyway..."

"Zayn! How could I have not noticed your adorable hairline! I think I was too busy looking at your eyes..." Niall fought a laugh.

"His hairline," Louis deadpanned again. Liam rubbed his forehead. 

"This is going to be a long interview," he muttered, before smiling sweetly at the interviewer.

"You're too far away Zaynie," Niall wailed. Zayn grasped his waist and yanked him onto his lap.

"Better?"

"I can breathe!" Louis shouted, rubbing his side. "Now that Niall's not sitting on me anymore." 

Maybe this was a bad idea. But it made Zayn laugh and Niall couldn't resist Zayn's laugh.  
__

They got oddly used to it, grossing Louis out and getting stuck kissing for fans all the time. They would settle for a quick peck and go back to talking like it hadn't happened.  
In some ways it was fun, but in others it was really hard.

Like, Zayn's calling him 'love' and kissing him? It could be used for fun but it was what he'd wanted for a while. Of course Louis and Nic never let him alone for long. He never had a chance to be sorry for himself. 

His thoughts were interrupted as Nic burst into the room.

"Guess who's got a date," she sing-songed. Niall raised an eyebrow.

"With who?"

"'Whom'. And Pezza."

"Pezza?!" Zayn shrieked from the doorway. He always trailed in shortly after Nic. 

"Yup. She's just so amazing..." Nic climbed onto Niall's dresser again and Zayn didn't bother waiting to flop on the bed and curl up by Niall. 

"Are you gonna announce it to the world or wait?" Niall asked. Nic shrugged.

"One day at a time sonny, one day at a time."

"'Sonny?'" Niall's nose crinked up in disgust. "I dated you once. Fakely. For half a month."

"Hey guys, Uncle Simon called." Liam poked his head around the door. "We start recording in three weeks, and seven of Niall's songs are on there." Zayn jumped up, yanking Niall up with him.

"You did it!" he yelled, picking Niall up and spinning him around. Niall couldn't stop laughing.

"I did what?"

"...I dunno. That's just the cliche movie line." Zayn flopped back on the bed and Niall laid by him, staring up at the ceiling.

"What am I supposed to do when you go on tour?" Nic complained.

"Date Perrie?" Niall suggested.

"Whatever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zoe here, per usual, since it's just me. Hope you enjoyed! ^^


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The struggle continues and Niall looks into his option in bridges to 'fall' off of. But not literally, because who wouldn't want management to tell them to kiss Zayn all the time?  
> Other than Haz and Louis, who are struggling currently...

So maybe he'd been wrong when he'd thought this was all worth Zayn's laugh.  
Because right now, Zayn's infuriatingly warm hand was holding his and his infuriatingly realistic adoring smile was pinned upon him. 

Niall was just wondering where the nearest bridge was when Louis and Liam came up.

"First show of the tour tonight!" Liam smiled. Niall swallowed, remembering the agonizing months of 'dating' Zayn that had come between recording and now.  
There was a bridge two blocks away. Maybe if he ran...

"Yup," Zayn smiled, not even blinking at the bright flashes nearby as the paparazzi 'sneaked' up on them. Niall leaned his head on Zayn's shoulder and exhaled. He looked longingly at the corner of the street. 

Oh well. He couldn't actually do it anyway. This was agonizingly wonderful, and while he hated it, he loved it.  
There went those stupid contradictions again. 

"You okay, Nialler?" Louis prodded. Niall smiled.

"Yup. Just tired." Zayn was immediately leaning down.

"Are you not sleeping well? I hope you're not sick..." a warm hand cupped his cheek as Zayn felt his forehead with the other. "Oh good. You don't have a fever at least..."

"I'm not sick, 'Liam'," Niall answered.

"Hey!" Liam protested, but they ignored him.

"Then what is it?" Zayn demanded. Niall rolled his eyes.

"I'm lovesick, Zayn. That restaurant around the corner has been ignoring my subtle advances." Zayn scowled playfully and flicked his nose.  
Niall found himself contemplating how someone could have as beautiful eyes as Zayn did. 

Louis cleared his throat awkwardly. 

"We need to go, sorry to break up the staring fest."

"Shut up!" Niall hissed at Louis, who smiled innocently. Zayn grasped Niall's hand again, chattering on as they walked. 

Zayn chattering and Niall silent. 

There went those damn contradictions again...  
__

"...And let me kiss you," Harry completed the song, Zayn darting in and kissing Niall as hundreds of girls screamed deafeningly.  
Niall still felt like he was going to have a heart attack every time Zayn kissed him. It hurt more than anything else ever had. 

Chest constricting painfully, he listened as Louis talked for a bit, arm slung around Harry. Harry had recently 'broken up' with Amelia or Amethyst or whatever, and Louis was on Cloud 9. Or maybe Cloud 8. He'd be on Cloud 9 when one of them finally made a move.  
Though knowing them there would be some horrible screw up and they'd hate each other for two minutes. (Their current record was one minute and twenty-eight seconds.)

Zayn grabbed Niall's hand and waved with the other, smiling at the crowd. Niall followed him offstage, where they quickly changed and got on the bus.

"Night guys," Liam high-fived them all before leaving to his bunk.

"Night Niall." Zayn leaned in and kissed him lightly before freezing. The room was silent for a moment. 

Niall's poor, recently-irregular heart stopped.

"Shit! Sorry Niall...I'm too used to it...uhm..." Zayn stood.

"It's alright." Niall smiled. "Sleep well."

"Uh...thanks. Sorry." He went down the hallway, and Niall heard him muttering 'stupid' over and over again.  
His face must have showed what he felt, because soon Louis was sitting him down and Harry was curling up by him, stroking his arm comfortingly.  
Louis raided the fridge and brought some icecream and Niall laughed.  
He laughed until a few tears came out and he sobbed all over Harry's shirt. 

Oh well. At least he had icecream and Lou and Haz.  
__

"You know, if you just weren't the romantic type, we wouldn't be stuck going on planned picnics," Niall teased. Zayn pouted at him.

"At least there's food."

"True. That's one way to my heart, but once you ge there you'll find that it's made of food anyway. So give up, fair knight."

"The knight isn't fair, the maiden is."

"But what if the knight is a girl? Or the 'fair maiden' and the knight are both guys and they just so happen to look like Louis and Haz?"

"Then they'll have an agonizing journey toward a sickeningly adorable end."

"You think so?" Niall asked after a moment of listening to Zayn's heartbeat under his ear.

"Yeah. It might take a bit, but it's bound to happen. I just wish there was something we could do."

"Hm. Maybe we should just like...shove them together all the time."

"That won't work, they're already together all the time."

"Touche. Management already unknowingly tried the jealousy option." Niall snorted, giggling with Zayn.

"True. Maybe if we locked them in a closet..."

"They'd break down the door."

"Fine! I give up." Niall pouted and Zayn ruffled his hair.

Niall noticed Zayn's gaze on him still and tugged at his collar.

"What?"

"Nothing...you're just cute." Zayn's cheeks turned scarlet and Niall tilted his head back down, hiding his own red face from the other boy.

"Oh. Well, thanks." 

"They've probably gotten enough pictures to make management happy now," Zayn said. 

"Mhm. We should go."

They didn't leave for another hour.  
__

They got back to a wreck.  
Louis was curled up on the couch and Liam was kneeling by him, trying to quiet his sobs. Niall ran over, dropping the blanket he'd been carrying.

"What happened?" Zayn asked, anxious. Niall pulled the eldest up, hugging him close and whispering in his ear.

"Sh...it's alright, Louis."

"Harry kissed him," Liam sighed. "Then he apologized and left."

Zayn and Niall both winced. Louis wailed louder.

"H-Hazza hates me, N-Nialler..." Niall ran a hand through Louis' hair.

"No he doesn't. He's probably confused, Louis. I don't know what's wrong, but I do know he could never hate you. Never."

"Are you sure?" Louis looked up at him hopefully.

"Positive. Why don't you go talk to him about it?"

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can. Go tell him that it wasn't necessary to apologize because you wanted it, Lou. He'll understand." Louis wiped his eyes, sitting up. 

"What if he rejects me?"

"He'd be an idiot," Niall protested. "He wouldn't do that!" Louis nodded shakily and stood. 

"Okay."

"You will?" Liam looked surprised. 

"Now or never," Louis answered.

"Good, Lou. And don't come back until you're back to your old sass-master self!" Louis walked out of the hotel room, head high.

"...that was easy," Zayn commented.

"Too easy. They'll probably eat each other alive out there."

"No, I think it will turn out alright. You really got him going." Zayn smiled at Niall and Niall turned red.

"Well, like he said. It was now or never."

Liam walked out muttering something about rotting teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think, more random shit chapters, or an ending? Does it need more, or has it dragged on too long?
> 
> Not too happy with this chapter, but I just thought 'damn this, post it anyway.' 
> 
> Zoe xx ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Justin Bieber...  
> Shit. Maybe a skyscraper would work better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating so fast! Whoa. O.o

It was dark when Harry and Louis returned, and Niall was relieved when he remembered they had no show that night.  
He was a little curious to know what had transpired, but it was obvious that it had ended well, if their linked hands were anything to go by.

"So...Hazza and I...well, I love Hazza and he loves me so I hope you can deal with that." Despite himself, Louis looked a little scared, and Niall jumped up to hug him.

"Finally! Nialler and I were ready to lock you in a closet!" Zayn chuckled. 

"Except I told him you'd just break the door down," Niall laughed, leaning an elbow on Zayn's shoulder as he sat back down. Liam clapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Congratulations guys."

"Aren't you going to give me a 'don't hurt him or I'll tear you to pieces' talk?" Louis asked.

"Which one would I give the talk to? I'm equally fond of you both." Liam stuck his tongue out at Louis and left. 

Niall sighed. Liam and Danielle were happy and Louis and Harry were happy...but he was stuck fake-dating the boy he was in love with.  
Who happened to only think of him as a friend he had to pretend to date.

Zayn's hand came up and he grasped Niall's hand, entwining their fingers. Niall exhaled slowly. Zayn sure had been acting oddly recently.  
__

"So then Hazza told me that he wasn't sorry at all (it was rather dramatic, really), and-"

"Oi! Says the guy who was crying already!" they all laughed as Louis turned red.

"Shut up. You're very hard to look at and think 'he's not mine.'"

"But I am, Louis." Harry stared into Louis' eyes and Liam fake-vomited. 

Niall's phone buzzed and Liam grabbed it for him. They had a tendency to check each other's texts.

"Niall, don't faint," Liam grinned. Niall stood.

"What? What is it?"

"It's Justin. He's in London and he wants to meet up tomorrow." Niall tackled Liam, grabbing the phone. 

His embarrassing celebrity crush on Justin Bieber had turned into a rather nice friendship as they became friends and he fell for Zayn. In fact, Justin knew everything about the situation, and Niall really wanted to talk to him about it.

"Do we have anything scheduled tomorrow before the show?" Niall asked. Zayn looked annoyed for a moment.

"No."

"Yay!" Niall plopped onto the couch. "We can meet up for lunch and then...hm. Maybe hit the mall?" he texted Justin back quickly and grinned.

"What did he say?" Louis prodded as Niall's phone buzzed again.

"He says that sounds great!" Niall whooped. He hadn't seen Justin in a while. 

Zayn was pouting and Niall stopped. Was he...jealous? Hope rose in his chest but he shoved it down. Wishful thinking strikes again. Zayn liked Justin and got along with him very well. He was probably seeing things.  
__

"How's Zayn?" Justin asked as they got their food and sat behind a giant plant, hoping to avoid fans.

"Ugh..." Niall slammed his head into the table. 

"That bad?" Justin sympathized, chewing thoughtfully on a French fry. 

"He accidentally kissed me on the bus the other day," Niall moaned. Justin flinched.

"Ouch. I'm sorry..."

"S'okay. Haz and Lou finally figured out their shit."

"Really?" Justin raised an eyebrow and Niall laughed.

"Yeah, really. I'm pretty sure I'll have no teeth by the end of the week and I'll have to get dentures to eat again." 

"I saw the famous 'Ziall picnic' pictures," Justin commented. Niall felt his cheeks heat. 

"That was really fun actually. We sat there and just talked."

"Pretty sure the media didn't need that many photos and videos," Justin teased. Niall sat up straighter.

"I know! Zayn said we should go and I agreed, but we just...stayed there. For like, another hour." Justin whistled. 

"Whoa. At least he doesn't mind your company." Niall nodded.

"He'd been acting odd, though." 

"How so?" Justin asked.

"Well, he holds my hand even when we're on the bus, and he always turns red when I compliment him now though he didn't before, and he's really casual about having to kiss me in public and like...I'm no good at acting, but he's really good at remembering to hold hands and stuff like that."

"And," Justin prodded, grinning.

"And when I said I was gonna hang out with you, he looked kinda...upset." Justin burst out laughing and Niall jumped, two fries flying over the giant plant on his left. "What?"

"Sorry!" Justin gasped, trying to hold back more laughter. "It's just...you're so oblivious!" He laughed again, covering his face as Niall pouted. 

"I am not," he grouched. "He doesn't like me."

"Oh yeah? Okay. You ask him to come to the mall with us. We'll see how he reacts. He can't stand anyone near you. Remember Nicole?" Niall nodded. "He couldn't stand her. Tried to burn her with his eyes."

"He's just overprotective," Niall protested, but he texted Zayn anyway.

"Is he coming?" Justin asked after a moment.

"He said he'll be here in five- stop laughing!" Justin erupted into laughter again and Niall threw a French fry at him.  
__

Zayn scowled again as Niall slung an arm around Justin.

They'd been wandering through the mall for an hour, joking and laughing. Niall had noticed Zayn's bad attitude and wondered about it, but figured he was just having a bad day.

"Those shoes are so cool!" Niall exclaimed, pointing in a window.

"Let me buy them for you," Justin offered. "As an 'I haven't seen you in forever' present." Zayn's expression darkened.

"I'll buy them for him."

"Guys, it's okay, I have plenty of shoes." Niall smiled at the pair, Justin's casual smile contrasted with Zayn's dark glare. 

Zayn stormed off and bought them.  
__

Justin tossed a magazine to Niall, and sat back, folding his arms over his chest.  
Niall didn't like the smug look on his face. Turning the magazine over, he read the front.

"'Bieber invades Ziall paradise?'" Niall read incredulously. On the cover was a picture of Zayn trailing behind him and Justin, a dark scowl on his face.

"Read the article." Niall rolled his eyes and turned to page four.

"'Niall Horan and Justin Bieber had a little down time at a mall in London the other day, and following behind came Niall's bf, Zayn Malik. Zayn, however, didn't seem too happy! As Niall and Justin got chummier, Zayn's expression only got darker. Hopefully any jealousy will be dealt with before Niall and Justin hang out again!' that's bullshit!" Niall exclaimed. Justin smirked and pulled out his phone.

"Here's my twitter." He showed Niall multiple tweets from fans going crazy over pictures and Niall felt a head ache coming on.

"Zayn's always been over-protective, I told you."

"No, you're just in denial because you like him and don't think he likes you," Justin defended.

Suddenly Zayn stood in the doorway of Niall's room. His expression was unreadable and Niall swallowed. 

"Niall, we need to talk." 

Oh shit, had he heard?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to NOLAlove for some of the ideas! ^^


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall ponders other means of escaping death by Zayn's-wonderfulness, and Zayn seems to be on the brink of saying something important.

He was a little frightened as Zayn grasped his wrist and pulled him into the hallway-  
Scratch that, he was petrified. Heart speeding up, palms sweaty, the whole nine yards.  
And in his head, over and over again, the word 'shit' played like a broken record. It was really peeving, to be honest.

Zayn stopped a little down the hallway and faced Niall.

Niall waited, expectant and nearly trembling.

"Yes?" he finally asked, impatience out-weighing fear.

"When is he leaving?" Zayn asked. 

"In three days, he's just taking a break."

"Three days?" Zayn looked almost sick, like it was painful to know one of Niall's favorite people in the world was going to be around for a little bit.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, he's just annoying me."

"You always got along with him, Zayn! Why not now?"

"I don't know!" Zayn glared at the wall before turning to Niall. "He just annoys me."

"You didn't just tolerate him, Zayn, you actually liked him," Niall continued, confused. Seriously- what the hell?

"Well he's being annoying. And you never spend time with me any more!"

"He's only here for a little while and I hardly ever see him. And he's my friend, so please stop being so rude!"

Zayn turned and stormed away, leaving Niall there to stare after him.  
__

Niall was a little oblivious, sure, but he knew something was very wrong- something that had to do with him and Justin and Zayn, unfortunately, which just meant that he was reconsidering the bridge and the skyscraper and wondering if Paul owned any hand guns. 

Shorter death, and all that. If he didn't miss, that is, and it wouldn't surprise him if he did. Maybe if he stole all of Louis' TOMs...

But back to the problem at hand. Zayn was getting almost...possessive. All you had to say was 'Justin Bieber' and he'd grab the nearest part of Niall he could find (which hadn't always ended well). A few times Niall had found himself staring helplessly at Justin while Zayn's arms kept a death grip on him to match the look on his face. Niall wondered if Justin had some forcefield, because if that look had been directed upon him, he wouldn't have had to find a bridge. He kept expecting the Canadian boy to spontaneously combust or something like that, but the knowing smirk hadn't budged the past two days.

Well, maybe that was a bit dramatic, but Zayn sure was more pissed than Niall had ever seen him, and he'd seen him facing girls that had called Niall a faker and whatnot (Zayn was very touchy about him, for some reason). 

He felt like whatever it was, his heart wanted it but didn't want to accept it.   
Damn contradictions again. Seriously, he wanted to break something.

Louis was on Cloud 9 (like he'd guessed he'd be) and had no time for Niall matters. Right at that moment Niall knew Nic was off with Perrie (and he didn't even want to know about that, it was just awkward), Justin was with Liam (he'd insisted on meeting Danielle and Niall had a bad headache) and he sure as hell couldn't talk about Zayn with Zayn, now could he.

Talk about infuriating. Just like Zayn's stupid attractiveness and stupid smile and stupid laugh and stupid...everything.   
Except it wasn't stupid, it was perfect- that's what had Niall so pissed.

He let out a [not] manly screech as Zayn's stupid/perfect features appeared in the doorway.

"Sup Niall?"

"My heart, now that it's in my throat," Niall quipped, trying to slow his heart rate.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to...apologize for the other day." 

"It's alright. Maybe I am ignoring you too much. He's gone right now anyway...maybe we could go for a walk?" Zayn's tired face immediately brightened. 

"Yeah! Have you eaten? Maybe we could stop somewhere for a bite."

"I ate, but we could always have dessert," Niall suggested, swinging his legs off the bed and standing up. He rifled through his suitcase for a new shirt (his current one was stained) and quickly swapped out, deciding not to read too much into Zayn's expression.   
After all, he had a tendency to over-analyze.

As they crossed the hotel parking lot and reached the side walk, Zayn grasped Niall's hand and smiled. Niall tried to ignore how right it felt, walking with Zayn like this. He could do anything with him right now and no one would mind because fans thought it was real and management wanted more publicity. And Zayn never seemed to mind a little extra hand-holding or hugging.

He avoided kisses like the plague, though, and so far Peter had let it slide. They were often commissioned by fans to kiss, but he tried to keep the count down as much as possible.

"Have you been in contact with Pez?" he asked, trying to distract himself.

"Yeah...you and Nic still in touch?"

"Yeah," Niall nodded, ignoring Zayn's intense gaze. Was it suddenly hot or was it just him? "She and Pez, huh."

"I know. It feels kinda funny, like we turned them lesbian or something."

Niall chuckled. "Nic was already lesbian." Zayn stopped short, eyes wide.

"Seriously? You dated a-" he burst out laughing. "All that worry for nothing!"

"Worry about what?" Niall asked. Zayn stopped abruptly.

"Nothing." He pulled Niall along, linking their fingers. Niall shrugged and followed him past a few shops.

"Hey, how does ice cream sound?" Zayn asked after a bit, nodding toward a small creamery.

"'Peter's Ice Creamery?'" Niall laughed. "I'm just imagining my agent scooping ice cream!" he giggled again but stopped as he caught Zayn's gaze. Zayn's eyes were dark and unreadable. Unconsciously Niall began to lean in and stopped himself, freezing. Zayn's lips parted. He looked vulnerable, like an open book that was unscrambling itself so it could be read, and Niall felt a sudden urge to comfort him. 

Zayn stepped closer.

"Niall, I-"

"It's Zayn and Niall!" Zayn drew back, expression turning unreadable again as two girls came up, holding out sharpies.

"Will you sign my arm?" one asked. Niall smiled distractedly and nodded, signing her arm and then the other girl's.   
They went and got ice cream after the girls left, but Zayn remained silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking I'll be wrapping this up in one or two chapters...what do you think?  
> Zoe xx


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buahaha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, loves! Written at twelve at night and utter bullshit. ^^

Justin left the next day and Zayn (despite his apology) didn't seem at all put out. Niall fought the urge to roll his eyes as Zayn waved rather energetically at the Canadian boy's back when he entered the car.

Oh well. Maybe they would get along better next time. And maybe Niall would figure out what was making Zayn act funny.

At the moment the older boy seemed fine- he seemed to be happier than ever, actually. The two were at a fair that had been near the hotel and Zayn seemed to be glowing. He was running from place to place, dragging Niall along and occasionally stopping to look at him with a strange smile that Niall couldn't understand.

As they left the fair, Zayn laced their fingers together. Niall sighed contentedly, before remembering it was all fake.  
It just didn't feel fake, not like this, with Zayn smiling down at him and their hands fitting together perfectly. 

No. He had to keep himself from getting lost in management's lie.

His foot slipped and he fell, landing in a puddle on his backside. No more dramatic thoughts- they never ended well.

"Stop laughing and help me up, you shit," he whined at Zayn, who pulled him up with twinkling eyes.

"You're so cute when you're mad, Ni," he commented, brushing him off. Niall felt his face heat up.

"Uh..."

"Come on. Let's get you home."

Home. He felt delirious. Oh shit. He was in deep. Before it had been bad, but it just kept getting worse. 

He didn't know how long he could take this. It was playing with his mind, twisting reality-

His legs flew out from under him again and he gave up, sprawling on his back as Zayn laughed.

Damn drama.  
__

"What's scheduled this week?" Niall half-mumbled, hands tangled in Zayn's hair. Zayn squinted up at the ceiling. He always remembered their plans.

"Tomorrow we have another picnic at twelve."

"Mhmm."

"Dinner at six because there's no show, and then we can go to the zoo next door to the venue the night after."

"Zoo? Cool. What else?"

"Lunch together the next day and then a 'long walk'. Nothing else so far."

"I'm so glad it's with you and not some random person I don't even like," Niall confessed. Zayn smiled up at him from where his head was in his lap.

"Me too." He sat up, sitting across from Niall. "This whole...thing has really gotten the fans going crazy, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. I wonder..." he cut himself off.

"Wonder?"

"How many of them think it's fake."

"'Think'?" Zayn's voice was suddenly low as he leaned closer. Niall swallowed. "What do you think?" Niall's lips parted and he closed his eyes for a moment. Zayn's breath ghosted over his lips and he shuddered.

"I-"

"Zayn! Come see this!" Louis' voice sounded outside the door. Niall jumped back. 

"Niall-" 

Niall fled, leaving the door open behind him. 

"Dammit!" Zayn kicked the wall, ignoring the jarring in his leg as he flopped on the bed and groaned.

He never answered Louis.  
__

"Niall, he wasn't playing. Open your eyes!" Nic seemed ready to slap him. "Management fucked this up, but you can still make this work. Man up! Tell him! He's not gonna be able to tell if you keep avoiding him in private. Everything you do in public he'll take with a grain of salt." 

Niall sighed into the phone. "But what if you're wrong? This will be worse than before."

"Niall, trust me. It can't be any worse than right now."

"Don't jinx it," he muttered sullenly as he heard a giggle over the phone.

"Sorry, love, gotta go. Pez's here." She hung up and he tossed his phone on the bed, sighing.

He felt ready to tell Zayn and damn the consequences, but part of him said he wasn't ready.

Fuckin' contradictions and drama. Out to kill him, it seemed.  
__

Zayn seemed more hyper that night at the show, tugging at Niall's shirt and smiling at him, locking eyes. Niall sighed, trying not to fall as Zayn picked him up and physically carried him. 

He was so screwed.

He was in deep, way too deep, and couldn't get out without making things worse. Despite his playfulness, Zayn seemed off, and Niall was worried. If he knew Niall loved him and didn't feel the same, he'd break.

He was sure the only reason he didn't fall was the fact that Zayn was carrying him. 

As Zayn set him down, he leaned in and kissed him, like they always did.

But, as their lips met, something felt different, like there was something there. It felt like it always did- like Zayn was somehow coursing through him- but it felt mutual, like Zayn could feel it too and it was so invigorating, so exhilarating. He felt like this was how it was meant to be.

He didn't even blink as he ended up on his back.  
__

He'd been avoiding him but it hadn't been subtle. They'd all noticed and Zayn didn't seem happy but Niall felt like a wreck. He was paranoid about every touch, and he felt hyper-aware of Zayn's every move. 

And so his sense went a bit crazy when Zayn grabbed him and slammed him against the wall of the tour bus. Niall decided to kill Louis, Harry, and Liam later because they inched slowly out of the room as Zayn practically snarled in his face.

"What are you doing?" Niall demanded. Zayn's glare lessened as Niall pulled his arm free, rubbing his aching shoulder.

"Why are you avoiding me, Niall? I thought we were gonna be okay." Zayn seemed hurt now and Niall's heart clenched.

"We are."

"Then why are you acting like you hate me, Niall?" Niall went limp, sighing. 

Now or never.

"Things can't be the same, Zayn."

"Why?" Zayn demanded. "Because of this? You promised it wouldn't ruin anything!"

"It's not this. The problem started a while ago and I- I can't help it, Zayn."

"Can't help what, Ni?" Zayn leaned in curiously, and Niall thought about all the wonderful ways he could kill anyone if they interrupted them.

"Even before this I...I loved you, Zayn. I never had the courage to say a thing and then this happened and I knew you could never love me because mmph-"

And then Zayn was kissing him and it was like the last kiss- it wasn't fake, it wasn't forced, it was raw emotion as they both poured themselves into it. Zayn's lips moved against Niall's as he cupped his face, hands caressing his hairline as they kissed. 

Zayn finally pulled back. "I loved you this whole time, Ni," he managed between peppering Niall's face with kisses. He kissed his nose, his forehead, his cheeks, before pulling him close and burying his face into Niall's shoulder. Niall felt like his heart was going to fly away.

"Oh Zayn, I just..."

"Sh. You don't need to say anything. Just show me." And Niall did, leaning in to kiss him with all the love he had.

Take that, drama. He didn't fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be one more chapter, hopefully. Please comment!
> 
> Zoe xx


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT IS FINISHED. Sorry about the delay, my sister had a baby this week and my brother was really sick.

It wasn't until they were on stage that Niall realized they had yet to tell the boys. Turning to Zayn during Harry's solo, he whispered into his ear. Zayn nodded, smiling, and Niall went up to Louis first.

"Hey Lou," he whispered as Louis started singing. "Zayn and I are really and truly together now."

"One way-" Louis cut himself off and dropped his mic, screaming and jumping on Niall. The mic hit the floor with a boom that had everyone covering their ears. Niall barely caught Louis as he jumped into his arms and he staggered at the sudden weight, trying to hold on to his mic.

"Maybe that was a bad idea..." He couldn't help but giggle as the crowd fell silent and Louis tried to squeeze the life out of him. Liam turned away from Zayn smiling and Niall knew he'd told him. He turned to the crowd and tried to distract them as Harry jumped up and down, suppressing his squeals of delight. Zayn kissed Niall on the cheek before they resumed, smoothing over the interruption.  
__

"It's like a fairytale," Nic sighed dreamily, patting Perrie's hand. The two had come to visit the boys and they were crowded into Harry's living room during a break in the tour.

"Some screwy fairytale," Niall retorted. Perrie shook her head.

"No, it's like a chick-flick." 

"Oh heavens..." Niall covered his face as Louis cackled. 

"It is!"

"And you were the one half-sobbing every time I talked about Zayn because 'it was destiny.'" Zayn and Harry laughed, the latter patting his boyfriend affectionately as he pouted.

"Wait. You and Louis had talks about me?" Zayn queried. Niall turned crimson.

"Err, yeah?"

"You're so cute when you blush," Zayn said, and Niall turned darker.

"Whatever," he mumbled. 

"And when you're embarrassed."

"My teeth!" Louis clutched at his mouth. Liam smacked him.

"I'm the one in here who's boyfriend or girlfriend is absent."

"Aw....poor wittle Wiam- hey!" Louis flew over the back of the couch as 'Wittle Wiam' tackled him. Harry just laughed as his boyfriend was rendered helpless when Liam began tickling him. Nic smiled fondly at them all.

"I feel like I've adopted you all and I'm your mother."

"Should I call Pezza 'dad' then?" Zayn teased. Perrie smiled.

"That would be rather awkward, Zayn."

"Whatever, dad," Niall said.

"Shut up, son-in-law," Perrie quipped.

"But Nic adopted me too."

"Can't have any incest, can we? So you're just our son-in-law."

"What about Lou and Haz?"

"Lou can be the son-in-law."

"Does that mean Louis and I are brothers?" Niall asked. Perrie nodded.

"BROTHER!" Louis leaped out from behind the couch and tackled Niall. The others soon joined in.

Well. It was better than the way everything had started out at least, because right now Louis' elbow was pressed into his ribcage and Nic was sitting on his legs with Perrie on her back, but Zayn was leaning down to kiss him and he was content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story! I liked writing it. ^^
> 
> Zoe xx

**Author's Note:**

> Any tips you have, please comment to me! I'm really new to this writing stuff. 
> 
> Zoe xx


End file.
